INIHAYAG ni Senador Richard Gordon na nagsagawa ng pilot saliva testing ang Philippine Red Cross sa mahigit 1,000 healthcare workers sa bansa bilang pagtalima sa pangangailangan ng Department of Health upang makuha ang pag-apruba sa bagong testing method.

Sa pahayag, sinabi ni Gordon, chairman at CEO ng PRC, na mas mabilis, mas madali at mas mura ang saliva testing bilang alternatibo sa swab test dahil simple at maikli lamang ang proseso.

Aniya, nakipagtulungan ang PRC sa 15 ospital ng DOH sa Metro Manila upang maisagawa ang Saliva RT=PCR Test Pilot na ipatutupad ang pagsusuri bilang bahagi ng routine surveillance ng health workers.

“Prerequisite to the DOH’s requirements, we will test medical frontliners as they are the most exposed to the virus. The saliva testing can pave the way to a faster, easier, and cheaper process,” ayon kay Gordon.

Aniya, aabot lamang sa 3 hanggang 4 na oras ang turnaround time ng saliva testing na inaasahang papalo sa halagang P2,000.

Naunang isinulong ng PRC ang pag-apruba sa saliva test bilang mas mabilis at mas murang pamamaraan kung mayroon COVID-19 na ipinanukala sa DOH at Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) nitong October 2020.

“We are expanding our testing services with a more affordable testing which is faster and less invasive. Our proposal is based on sound studies conducted and approved in other countries. These results as well as findings on tests conducted locally by PRC were presented to the DOH and the FDA,” ayon kay Gordon.

Sinabi ni Gordon na kailangan lamang ang laway kaya hindi na masyadong mahirap ang testing.

“Saliva testing requires less protection and the need for Universal Transport Medium and swabs. The saliva specimen is stable at room temperature and does not require cold chain transport. These translates to reduced costs,”ayon kay Gordon.

“This efficient procedure aligns harmoniously with PRC’s goal to test more people and contain the spread of the coronavirus. True to its mandate to reach and aid the people, especially the most vulnerable, PRC ensures a more affordable testing through the saliva process,” dagdag ng mambabatas. (ESTONG REYES)